Auto Shows & Future Cars

LA Auto Show 2010: Final Impressions from the TrueCar Team

November 21, 2010

With the LA Auto Show just opening up to the public following Media Days, the TrueCar Team offers these final thoughts on what caught their eye on the Show floor – as well as in the halls and meeting rooms – of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

• Will the Fiat 500 impact Mini Cooper’s sales?
• Hybrids and EV’s a must for OEMs, at least a concept
• Base trims coming more loaded, with more available options to personalize for the American driver

Shadee Malekafzali
TrueCar Team Member/Blogger
Twitter: @shads14

• Manufacturers recognize that LA is innovative in its adoption of green technologies and they choose to debut that technology at the show.
• Auto makers are focused on customization of vehicles in order to appeal to the consumer of today (i.e. Fiat and their 500,000 possible iterations and Mitsubishi’s graphic wraps).
• Favorite cars: Hyundai Elantra, Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG and Fiat 500

Kristen Andersson
Automotive Analyst/Blogger
Twitter: @KCAndersson

Every year, people ask me what my favorite vehicles are. Over the course of several days, I see so many vehicles that I’m sometimes completely flummoxed by the many possibilities. This year, the Los Angeles Auto Show presented a few standouts that truly touched the depth of my own car-loving heart.

1) 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible: This resurrection of the age-old ponycar classic was gorgeous in its coupe form, but is absolutely breathtaking as a convertible. Reasonably priced around $30,000, too; I’d like one in Orange, please.
2) 2012 Ford Focus: At last, Ford brings to America the European vehicle that Focus fans have been clamoring for: It’s got the looks, technology, and performance that fans of the midsize sporty car segment want, and is going to turn heads away from imports in the class.
3) 2012 Porsche 911 Speedster: With only 100 scheduled for sale in America I’ll never be able to own one unless I won the lottery, but did win the lottery, this is the car I would buy.
4) Jaguar C-X75 Concept: Powered by electric motors and micro gas turbines, the C-X75 could travel from 0-62 in 3.4 seconds and has a top speed of 205 mph. Because they imagine the best of what could possibly be, Concepts like this are the reason I love auto shows.

Brandy Schaffels
TrueCar Content Manager/Blogger
Twitter: @FiestaGrrl

• This was the most upbeat LA Auto Show I’ve seen in the last 3 years
• The focus of the show appeared to be on EVs and Green Cars but the most significant vehicle of the show was easilythe Fiat 500 for its consumer viability

Jesse Toprak
TrueCar Lead Analyst
Twitter: @JesseToprak

• If they can grab a foothold in the US, Lotus is in position to make a splash in the Exotics market…their new model designs are gorgeous
• The LA Auto Show has done a great job of capturing “green” as a true segment, by recognizing the Green Car of the Year and emphasizing the green debuts
• Based on the buzz in the press room and in the halls, the immediate future of the industry – from product to sales – is looking up
• Though utilized by some (Heidi Klum for Volkswagen and the trio of Billy Baldwin, Paul Stanley and Sharon Stone for Lotus), celebrities were not as abundant as in the past